This is heading to a very bad place.

Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has drawn attention to a video advertisement for an iPhone giveaway, in which his appearance is created using artificial intelligence.

The video, shared on TikTok, features a manipulated version of MrBeast, offering viewers a chance to win Apple’s latest smartphone for $2. In the deepfake content, the content creator states, “I’m MrBeast, and I’m doing the world’s biggest iPhone giveaway.” The ad also includes a link directing viewers to supposedly participate in the giveaway.

In his post on MrBeast X, he warned his followers that the fake ad had reached “a lot of people.” The YouTube content creator criticized social media platforms for allowing deepfake videos.

“Are social media platforms ready to deal with the rise of artificial intelligence deepfakes? This is a serious issue.” Tom Hanks Faced a Similar Situation

MrBeast’s message comes just a few days after actor Tom Hanks issued a similar warning. The renowned actor informed his fans that he had “nothing to do with” a dental plan video featuring a deepfake version of himself.

Sharing a screenshot from the video, Hanks wrote, “There’s a video out there with a deepfake AI version of me endorsing a dental plan. I’ve seen it. I have absolutely no connection to it.”

How Will Social Media Platforms Combat Deepfakes?

Deepfakes have been a serious issue on the internet for some time. However, the rapid advancement and increased accessibility of artificial intelligence technology have exacerbated the problem. Social media platforms have made various efforts to address the issue, but the extent to which the rules are enforced remains uncertain.

TikTok, where MrBeast’s ad was posted, banned deepfakes in 2020. More recently, the platform explicitly stated that content creators must label videos created by artificial intelligence; otherwise, they will be removed from the platform. Instagram is reportedly planning to implement similar labeling requirements to make AI-generated content more identifiable.

In addition to these measures, Google and YouTube mandated the disclosure of all “synthetic” or artificially altered political ads ahead of the upcoming U.S. elections.

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